Of Truth and Lies
by K.A. Mist
Summary: "Has Light-kun ever told the truth in his life?" Light stared at the detective silently, the rain drenching them both, dripping onto the ground in puddles. He opened his mouth to speak, but decided against it. He wanted to tell the truth, at least to L. But he can't, he wasn't able to for the last eighteen years. And it might continue to be so, for the rest of his life.
1. Masks and Puppets

**A/N: So I finally got around to rewriting this thing that is supposed to be my impression of Light's character.**

 **I reposted it since there's some problem with the updating (happened before :()**

 **Well, I'd think it's a BIG improvement from the previous version. This is part one of two, the second part was a stand alone of L's pov (or my impression of him), the second part should be coming out soon (maybe), but well, enjoy.**

 **Warning: Bit sad.**

* * *

Part 1: Masks and Puppets

"Has Light-kun ever told the truth in his life?"

L stared at him as he asked, his face blank as rainwater fell on and all around them, the quiet pitter-patter filling the silence, bridging the distance between them.

The distance that seemed to stretch ever further with each second that passed.

L's eyes were dark, bottomless and seemingly empty as he looked.

The young man knew, those eyes were anything but empty, they were black, dense with emotion that mimicked the skies above them.

Dark and gray, and weeping.

Light forged an amused smile, "What are you on about now, Ryuuzaki?"

L seemed to expect that answer. He didn't respond and simply turned to the sky above them.

 _He knows, he always does._

That's what made him different from everyone else.

And that's what led to this, and this later he would regret.

He would regret because he got close.

The intimacy that they both shared rocked his core more than he would admit.

It was as if L was a flame, among the coldness and dullness of the world that Light knew.

The flare within the gray abyss of his world, the single spark that ignited him to the very core, warmed his one empty soul.

He shone in the deep, black darkness and Light reached for it, unable to resist.

Now caught in this game between Kira and L, the flame would not last.

It was regrettable.

Light can't let that show.

But that is fine, he'd been walking away.

Once he got far away, he would be fine, just as he'd always been. Frozen and numbed by the cold, what has already been will not affect him once the flame is gone.

L is just one of the many and everything will return to what it once was.

Soon, Light will get everything that he wanted.

The warmth matters no longer.

The world is waiting for him.

And L will be gone.

He will be fine.

Just as he was.

Light stared silently at L's forlorn form drenched by the downpour, each second ticking by, counting down to the time that they will part.

The moment was spent in silence and the warmness slipped away from him.

He did not reach for it and simply watched, shrouded by the cold.

As he slowly disappears.

* * *

 _"Has Light-kun ever told the truth in his life?"_

The words come back to haunt him constantly, when he is no longer busy with the facades, the act that he has to perfect in front of everyone else.

 _I will be fine_ , he'd thought once.

He lied.

The honest truth is…

Light has never been told the truth.

Correction: He was never true.

That was another lie.

Because Light could remember a long time ago, when he had not been this way.

He was like everyone else, an innocent child, true to himself, to everyone else and innocent to the world around him.

But his innocence was short-lived.

Even though he was awfully little, he remembered loneliness, dread and uncertainty.

And he knew with painful clarity that he was different.

'Too smart for his own good,' as he thought at one point.

'Freak' was a constant label to him.

That was where he learnt that people hated things that are out of the common. Things that are strange, alien. Things that people do not understand.

He was one of those things.

Light in his infancy watched despondently as children his age steered clear of him, form their own groups, he was never included, always hanging by himself unless they were forced to interact with him.

He hated that they shunned him, he hated the shadows of loneliness that constantly hung over him.

He saw it once or twice even in his parent's eyes, the fear of the unknown.

But it was early, he could still turn the situation around in his favor.

So Light hid the stark intelligence that stood out like a sore thumb, pretending he was just a little better than the flock even though he was so, so much more.

He hid it well and soon they slowly accepted him.

The darkness that loomed over faded away.

But he was never truly happy.

He hid that as well.

Surely things will change for the better one day, for now he will keep away the truth of himself and appear normal as they wanted him to.

The falseness that ate away at him need not last.

* * *

Grayness consumed him in his entirely.

Light looked around and could only see gray, it's all that he can sense, vibrancy had become a foreign concept to him.

He wondered how is it that people feel with such ease.

Excitement, joy, misery, affection, he knew none of them.

He pretended as he always did, falseness now a second nature to him. It didn't take much for him to form a contented smile or change his expression to suit the atmosphere of thrill.

He felt nothing.

And everything is just gray, gray and more gray.

He's sick of it.

His world is too perfect and dull.

It wasn't until Light accidentally influenced his 'friend' (just another person that he was expected to befriend) to get a drink for him, just because he was lazy that he found something mildly interesting to do.

Manipulation.

Light flashed another artificial smile.

He could get some thrill from this.

It wasn't hard to achieve, all it did was a few well-placed wordings, a little tilt of the head and smiles here and there and they would be games for him to play with.

And no one even realized because they never knew just how gifted he actually is.

The perfect model student.

'Light Yagami could do no wrong.'

That was what they said as well, and they believed in it.

He hardly needed to lift a finger.

And because it was so easy, the thrill was short-lived.

His little puppet show slowly took a dark turn, pain and destruction awaits his human toys.

Why won't anyone notice it already?

Everything is just a façade, the Light they knew is FALSE!

Is there no one that will see the truth?

Can no one see _me_?

* * *

A tingling excitement crawled all over his skin as he caressed the black cover of the notebook.

Yes…

A giggle bubbled up from his throat as he imagined the possibilities.

This is what I have been waiting for…

A crooked smile tugged at his lips as he stared down at the Death Note, his gift.

 _I'll never be bored again._

* * *

"I am L."

Light peered at the most unkempt and most unpresentable person ever in front of him, staring at him with his black, black eyes and thumb perching on his pale lower lip in the most unhygienic way.

Part of him was skeptical, unable to believe that this rumpled-looking man could be the world's greatest detective while the other part of him filled with pure white anger and dark, swirling fog of dread.

A curious sense of fascination was thrown into the mix and Light was mystified by the myriad of sensations racing through his veins.

 _It happened again._

The other time he felt like this was during L's taunt after he'd killed Lind L. Tailor.

The nerve...!

Light could not ignore just how extreme and bold the man's actions are, using a convict to pose as L, risking the danger to prove that Kira needs both a name and face to kill to lure him out.

Now he'd appeared to his greatest suspect personally, compromising the secret of his identity save for his name.

Nobody would _ever_ dare to do that and Light found the man to be more and more intriguing by the second.

He must absolutely accept the challenge, there was nothing else he would rather do.

So he smiled (his fake smile) and said, "If you are who you say you are, then I am honored to meet you."

L lips quirked up as he watched Light intently, as if amused.

Just you wait, L.

 _The game had only just begun._

* * *

Light walked silently into his room with the shinigami trailing behind.

He locked the door behind him and approached his desk without a word, his face the blankest it had ever been.

Ryuk seemed puzzled by this behavior.

"Er… Light?"

An infuriated scream tore its way out of his throat, forced by the bone-crushing weight of his fury.

Light swept his arm across the surface. Books, pens and lamp clattered to the floor, causing the Death God to back away in surprise.

"Fucking hell!" He yelled as he kicked at his chair viciously, it fell over and hit the floor with a heavy thud.

Light flopped onto his bed and growled, tearing at his hair in frustration.

"Eh, Light?" The Death God seemed concerned about his human suddenly throwing a fit and reached out a bony hand that hovered in the air, not wanting to touch him.

Light ignored him, his mind unable to let go of the fiery rage that burned through him.

Then, a manic smile spread on his face and he unexpectedly began to giggle.

Ryuk watched him silently, beyond puzzled by his strange behavior.

"He got me," Light chuckled darkly, "Oh, he got me good."

The chuckles turned into raucous laughter at his apparent amusement.

Light stopped laughing and stood up, walked over to his desk and opened the drawer, staring at the harmless looking Death Note nestled inside.

He picked it up and stared, stroking its smooth cover.

His smile spread even wider, as thrill raced through his veins at how things had turned out.

"'An eye for an eye', he says," Light uttered, "I'll show him."

He flipped open the Death Note.

* * *

"Light-kun is my first ever friend."

Light stared incredulously at the dark-haired detective.

"You're kidding me," his voice held threads of disbelief and amusement at the ridiculous statement.

"I am completely serious," L said.

Light scoffed, "You can't expect me to believe that, I mean… you're what? Twenty?"

"In regards to concerns about my identity I will not disclose my age," L said, "But it is within that range."

"And you expect me to believe that you never once had a friend in your life?"

L pressed his lips with his thumb, he seemed to be in thought, "Well, perhaps I have made some acquaintances but Light-kun is not realizing that perhaps I meant 'real friends'."

Light stared at him.

"Like those that have made me actually enjoy their company," L said this as he stuffed an over-sized lollipop in his mouth, ruining what was supposed to be a 'moment'.

Still, the words struck Light.

 _Real friends._

Light was not about to say this to the detective that he had never considered anyone as an actual friend before.

A flush of warmth permeated his heart and Light was puzzled, even more so that it had come from the recluse that was supposed to be his enemy.

Light felt himself so close to the truth, standing dangerously right next to the edge as he regarded the other man.

He opened his mouth to speak, his pulse thundering in his ears but closed it soon after.

Instead, he laughed (a false laughter), "Well, I didn't expect that kind of joke from you. Hell would freeze over if I was going to warm up to you, considering what you've done to me so far."

The detective stared at him, his dark eyes like burning coals at what Light had said to him and didn't say.

Light had a feeling that L knew, but there's no way he'll indulge L in anything.

Not with this game that they are currently playing.

Light turned back to his work and tried to ignore the silent tearing of his heart.

L likewise turned away and sulked at the computer screen, sucking on the lollipop noisily.

 _I enjoy your company too._

That's what I wanted to say that day.

But this war between Kira and L won't allow it.

* * *

Light hadn't wanted this game to end.

It wasn't long before he was aware of an apparent attachment he held for the detective.

 _His friend._

Never in his life has his acts and lies are so easily seen through, when he has perfected them for years, practiced his acting to the point that no one could ever see through it.

And this one man, he saw through it all.

Him and his damn 'mirror eyes'.

It reflected everything that he saw and observed, and they see the truth, no matter how hard anyone tries to hide them.

Light cursed L and his ability to foil his performance.

Still, he can't simply play out his real self (he's false, _false_ ), even with emotions coloring his soul and threatening to condemn his show at every moment.

The price of losing are their lives.

He can't afford to lose.

But is he willing to sacrifice L to survive?

…

…

Yes, yes he would.

He had to (I _don't_ want to).

There's no other way.

* * *

Light stared down at the detective, who now lay dying in his arms.

He watched, his mind detached as he waited for him to die, to close his eyes and lose the game to him.

He will be fine after this.

Everything will return to what it was.

He was supposed to be Kira, he was supposed to win so he smiled down at him (it was cracked).

Then L took a shuddering breath and finally, finally, his eyes slid shut.

They saw no more.

Everything rushed back to him in that moment.

Light stared down at L who took no more breaths.

 _No._

 _No._

 _No, no, no-_

"NO!" Light screamed, pulling the body flush against him.

Pain shredded his form, tore through his flesh, broke his bones and ripped open his heart.

L's gone.

Gone.

Gone, gone, gone, _gone…_

Light cracked, splintered, shattered into a million pieces.

He was still, his eyes blank, his face frozen (no more colors).

No more.

 _No more..._

* * *

Light cast a level gaze at the pictures of L's two successors.

His eyes were blank, still they hid the hellish wrath that tore through his being.

They were to be L, these two.

They strived to be like him, _to be_ him.

They were no L ( _no one_ could be him).

Light had expected more, something to ignite the fire in his heart (just as L did).

His heart remained dead, the ashes cold and gray.

It was not enough.

 _How dare they play his game!_

He had wanted it, the fear, the thrill, the chase.

He felt nothing but dark frustration and hatred that eventually faded off into empty darkness (it consumes him).

Light's faced remained impassive as the darkness now morphed into gloom, hanging over him, gloating as he smiled falsely.

It whispered in his ear, "You have nothing left _(you are nothing)_."

Light ignored it as he kissed his girlfriend, grinning at her as his eyes remained dull.

" _You killed it_."

He froze momentarily, but snapped out of it when Misa tried to get his attention.

He knew from that moment that nothing will be able to revive the colors, the flames that he'd yearned and seen ever again.

He'd killed his everything.

And he had nothing left.

 _Nothing._

* * *

"This proves it," Near said, staring at him pointedly, his eyes a cheap imitation of L's (they don't see him).

Light made a show of glaring at him, when truly, all there was left is an empty void that had swallowed his soul.

"Light Yagami," the kid said with absolute certainty, "You are Kira."

Choked cries of disbelief and disappointment came from the people that he worked with, as he expected.

They meant nothing to him.

This was simply a final act that he had to perform and it had to be done splendidly (he's false).

Light's face morphed into a leering grin and he threw his head to the skies and cackled maniacally (fake, fake, _FAKE_ ), feeling eyes on him, all of them unknowing audience to his last performance.

It was the pain from being shot that shocked him awake with its red hot, burning spikes.

He was suddenly lucid, desperation coating his veins as he called out, for Misa, Takada, anyone.

Light stopped himself before he could say his name.

He could not say his name, not even when his eyes welled up with unshed tears.

 _Not the truth._

A loud screech rang out and Light turned his attention to a screaming and bleeding Mikami, distracting his final group of audience ( _no more after this_ ).

He took the chance.

He ran (before _he_ could be seen).

* * *

He lay, pained and exhausted on the rusted stairs.

The agony of being shot was nothing compared to this.

Light gasped as his heart throbbed, constricting painfully in the confines of his chest.

Taking each breath was becoming too difficult to maintain but he struggled, the deep gray that now embodied him not enough to halt his basic instincts.

His heart fluttered feebly, his life began to ebb away.

His eyes slowly began to close (grayness the last thing he will see).

Then _he_ came.

Light stared up, speechless, pained, shocked, into the face of someone he hadn't seen for years.

L stood before him, his form more vibrant and colorful than he had remembered, bright against the slate hues of their surroundings.

Suddenly, he could see again.

L smiled gently at him, his dark eyes brightening ever so slightly, shining blue under the golden light.

Light tried to smile back (a real one, he tried) but only managed a pained grimace and L laughed at his warped expression.

Another pained throb squeezed a gasp out of him and L began to look saddened.

Light thought did not deserve that look from him.

Not with what he's done.

Light moistened his lips, before croaking out the word he had wanted to tell L a long time ago.

 _"Sorry."_

"I know," L said in response, not a hint of animosity in his eyes (those beautiful, colorful 'mirror eyes'.

Light opened his mouth to speak again, only managing a strangled groan as pain sapped his strength.

"Shh…" L uttered as he leaned closer, getting Light to stop speaking.

Light despaired that he will never be able to tell L, the truth that he deserved to hear.

L then answered his unspoken words, smiling gently at him, "I know, me too."

Light said nothing, he simply smiled.

Another jolt of pain wracked his body and he shuddered, wincing.

L squatted down and placed a hand on his forehead (it was calming).

"Sleep, Light-kun," he soothed gently, as Light slowly closes his eyes, keeping them lingering on L as long as they could before darkness claimed him.

The genuine smile (finally, _finally_ ) on his face remained even when he was long dead.

* * *

 _"Thanks for being my friend, L."_

 _"I know, me too."_


	2. The Looking Glass

Part 2: The Looking Glass

Ever since young, L had been told that he had 'mirror eyes'.

He was suddenly reminded of that as he looked upon his reflection in the mirror and studied them.

His eyes were large, black and reflective, his own face was staring back at him from within the inky depths of his irises.

He didn't particularly like them, they made him look strange.

And dead.

His eyes were unblinking as the inevitable sight came to him.

Yes, undoubtedly dead.

L is nothing but a husk of his body, born and made for one purpose only, to serve Justice as his fate is bidden.

L Lawliet did not exist as a person.

He is simply a title, nothing more.

L grimaced at the blankness of his face, allowing just that once to see that he is indeed there, living and not just existing.

Not just someone has nothing more than a void for a soul.

He hated what his eyes saw.

As they said, 'through the looking glass lies the ugly truth.'

And the truth is ugly indeed.

He tore his eyes away from the offending vision of his existence.

Still, that would not help him escape the offending vision of humanity's true nature.

All that encompasses the world are beautiful lies and the ugly truth.

He was condemned to see them all.

L hated his eyes with a burning passion.

Hated them so, so much.

* * *

Once again L was called upon to look upon a case, one which has stretched the death toll beyond the phenomenal scale.

He held sparsely a sense of eagerness for it, simply staring down at it with his cursed eyes.

This occurrence came across him as an act of a vigilante.

Such acts, shrouded with the beauty of morals and liberation. No doubt it would be seen that way by the self-proclaimed savior of innocence.

But L could see, he saw very clearly.

It was done for nothing more than an gruesome quest for glory, for self-satisfaction.

That was the truth and unpleasant as it is, it was his job to stop it.

No matter how he had no desire to partake in this hunt.

It was his duty.

The jagged spikes of his chains wrapped ever further around him, allowing no escape.

There is none.

* * *

The moment L set his eyes upon a certain Light Yagami, he knew, that he was nothing more than a fraud.

Falseness permeated through every trace of his 'perfection' and L held the urge to reach out and peel away at it, revealing the ugly truth beneath.

He imagine Light's skin to be that of an outer covering and it would take nothing to rip at it.

Layer by layer, they are paper-thin and easily torn apart, piece by piece they flutter to the ground as L tore away at him, unearthing a dark creature underneath.

 _There_ , there it is.

The only truth that he needs to find.

The only truth that he needs to show and he would be done and over with this case.

And countless other would follow, an endless cycle of unsightly facts served up on his plate.

The sound of a door clicking shut snapped L out of his self-induced trance and he kept watching as Light sat down upon his desk through his cameras.

He acted as though nothing truly disturbing had went through his mind and continued to watch.

With his dark, cursed sight.

* * *

 _Layer by layer, the dark monster brewed beneath._

 _What do your eyes see?_

L smirked down upon Light, who skillfully hid his uneasiness even under his unyielding gaze.

 _But it was futile._

 _Nothing escapes my sight._

L watched as the living mask on his face morphed into one of openness and innocence that the creature do not possess.

It was flawless and unblemished, made of pure, smooth marble.

Hiding the shadows within, not a trace peeked out from under his skin.

 _You do not delude me._

"It's an honor to meet you," Light said smilingly, "If you are actually L, of course."

The mask looked immovable, fixed into place.

L made to respond and faltered, tilting his head in wonder as he saw a gray fog slowly dissipating from Light's form.

He stopped himself before he could begin to speculate of something more than just a mask and the black soul hidden within.

Kira is a job and nothing more.

 _I will reveal the ugliness inside of you._

L fiddled with his lips as he ignored Light's greeting and caught a faint hint of well-suppressed annoyance, stinking of embers and ashes.

He smirked as the teen's mask slips very slightly and through the crack was pure darkness.

L was eager to uncover what hid within that void.

 _My sight will not fail me._

* * *

 _Layer by layer, I peel at his skin._

 _In hopes to reveal the monster within, I saw…_

It was not long till Light was forced to remain under his constant observation.

It was easier now, to tug at the mask that Light had made for himself, the perfect, white unblemished mask that hid everything of a monster.

Still, he persevered, replacing his mask with an unnatural persistence before L could catch more than the empty void that shrouded his ugly soul in darkness.

 _You cannot hide from me forever._

L briefly wondered, 'how is it that he is able to have such a meticulously crafted mask, that he is able to thwart all my attempts at breaking it when my advances would have made the most tenacious of all men to crack from the pressure?'

It was the first time that L cast a curious gaze at him, wondering.

 _Simply wondering._

At the exhausted form of Light slumped over the desk, the mask refusing to break even at L's tireless questioning, harassment and admittedly, unethical testing.

What made him weave a veil so thick?

What made him hide himself to this extent?

How _long_ has he done this?

L could not help but ponder and for a brief moment all his hostility ceded.

 _Beneath the skin, I caught the sight._

 _Of a low and warm glow._

* * *

 _Layer by layer, I gently pull them away, a great many pieces gathered by my feet._

 _Still, he won't let go, even with all of them almost gone._

The weather report showed calm weather, with little clouds obscuring the bright sky.

It seemed to have affected the others, their actions slow and lazy.

Only he seethed, his emotions a riot of storms.

 _Why would you not show yourself?_

His mind was hung up on the laughter that he heard.

It was so false that it hurt.

 _I allowed myself to feel because of you._

 _I_ ** _revealed_** _myself, I_ ** _showed_** _you a part of Lawliet, what L was not supposed to have._

L's ears stung as the words that were said are replayed over and over, stabbing deeper into the flesh of his heart as he glared at the computer screen.

 _Yet you still clung onto the safety of your masks, like a shield._

L stopped glowering as he considered his new thoughts.

 _A shield._

He glanced at Light, who looked nothing out of the ordinary after his statement and still caught the hint of desolation that brew underneath.

 _I start to reach out to the warm glow._

 _It shied away, retreated into the darkness and the endless layers returned._

 _The glow disappeared._

* * *

 _Still I carried on, pulling at the layers._

 _Seeking to see the light within._

L watched in silence.

The days go on as per normal and he could feel the game is coming to a close.

He could see a gloom fall over Light's visage, where no one else was able to.

He knew, he could feel it as well.

Light was prepared, so was he.

But what Light could not see clearly was his own desire.

L could see it, laid before him, clear as day.

He hated his mirror eyes now for a different reason.

As his friend now propelled the both of them towards the brink of doom, blind towards what he really wanted and couldn't get.

 _Through the layers, the light dimmed._

 _It reached back, a tentative hand upon the protective veil._

 _And then it was gone._

* * *

L stared back up at Light who held him in his arms, eyes wide and blank with pain unspoken of running through his veins as the heart attack ran its course.

He was aware of nothing else but the mask who stared down at him and a familiar warmth that cocooned him as he fades away.

It reminded him of the glow that Light hides away and protected and imagined with the remnants of his incoherent mind of a beautiful sight that lay hidden within the ugly falseness.

The mask kept staring down at him, taking in the sight of L's final breaths.

Uneasiness and torment seeped through the other's skin into his own, assaulting L's already acute awareness.

 _You can't see, but I could._

 _What you really want is not glory but a kindred spirit._

Too bad that the game has already gone too far.

Too late.

L sees a shimmering behind Light's eyes as he struggled to conjure a smile that he is suppose to face his enemy with.

L's dying eyes watched as the mask began to break, a small hairline crack appearing at the edge and breaking into its eye.

Darkness obscured his vision and he could see no more.

The beginning of a magnificent flash of light is the last vision that burnt itself into his eyes.

Then it was gone.

Just like him.

* * *

L had taken to following Light after his soul had broken free of his body.

That first night he stared down sadly upon the teen, the mask had the markings of cracks upon it.

He was alarmingly still for the hours that followed afterwards, his once amber gaze now blank.

The gray fog had returned, cloaking his form almost entirely that L could not quite see him clearly.

It made him look dead compared to the world around him.

Still, it moves on, whether they liked it or not.

Broken as it was, the mask remained firmly on his face and Light went back into his routine of pretense as if it were practiced tirelessly throughout his entire life.

The light that once glowed beneath all of the falseness is now faint, fluttering weakly much like L's own heart when Light had forced it to stop.

L was unable to reach out and prevent his descend into nothingness.

The afterlife had stripped his ability to influence the living, yet it kept him watching, the curse of his mirror eyes remained on.

So has the hate.

He hated that he can't do anything despite what he sees.

Despite his desires to save his one and only friend.

As he spirals even further down the path to Hell.

* * *

The dense gray swirled around Light as he continued to breathe, the fog of dullness darkening with each day that passes.

The falseness of Light's pretense pervaded the air, seeping through his pores and deluding everyone including himself that he was unscathed, even though everywhere L looked there were cracks and scars marring all of his form.

They deepened as time progresses.

Occasionally, Light would hide himself from prying eyes and rip away the mask that had permanently fixed itself from his face, tossing it aside and mourned.

It was then that the darkness around him dissipate slightly and L could actually see him a little more clearly.

He could not help but feel the sight painfully stunning to behold.

Light in his true manifestation is dazzling and beautiful, unlike the stale and vile guise that he took as himself.

'Through the looking glass lies the ugly truth.'

How false was that statement as L was presented with the vision of the enchanting authenticity.

He reached out to touch it, despairing when his hand passed through Light's body.

The younger man was unaware of it and continued to grief.

Then comes the part that L hates.

He watches with deep dark eyes as Light collected himself, his features schooled into calmness that contrasted with the chaos in his eyes.

He walked over, picked up his mask that was discarded and replaced it upon his face, worn down and broken.

His eyes go dull and Light is once against the ugly falseness that continued to exist within the world.

L once again follows him out, where he happily greets Misa and plants a kiss on her lips, smiling a fake smile at her and contacting the others.

L would be lying if he said he was not weary of seeing that constantly.

But he will wait.

The warm light will return again and L will be the one to receive it once it crosses over.

He could only hope that it happened sooner.

It is better than having to live out a life of empty existence.

* * *

L was not surprised when he witnessed Light reach his breaking point, the mask looking to be in a worse condition than it had even been.

It was astonishing that he'd even managed to hold on for this long.

Then again, Light is a stubborn person.

The look on Light's face was one of a man who had given up hope and of a man who was determined not to let anything stand in his way.

L saw clearly that it was a determination to meet his end.

He felt bitter at that.

But his long wait is now coming to an end.

He looked forward to seeing him again.

L followed and watched as his successor and Light faced off in the middle of an abandoned warehouse, Light looked to be anything but a dying man, his Kira mask in the way, his lips contorted into a sickening smile.

A deranged laughter tore out from his throat and if it wasn't for his eyes, L might've believed in it.

It is in these displaced moments that he found Light's acting to be greatly impressive in its off-putting ways.

They watched as Matsuda shot him in a fit of rage, stared as he walked up to Light and aimed at his head.

L waited in anticipation at the blow that never came.

He had missed thanks to the meddling of the others and he saw in the confusion that Light's mask, broken and battered had fallen away from him.

Fear and pain were evident in his eyes, tears brimming as he fought them, as he cried out for help.

L's felt a twinge in his heart at the sight but he could do nothing but watch as Light's lips started to form his name.

Then it ceded and Light came back to himself.

He struggled, eyes sharp with resolve as he reached out for his fallen mask, now in fragmented pieces on the floor.

L understood, he didn't want them to see him.

He'd just managed to put it on when Mikami stabbed himself.

L watched as Light somehow managed to get to his feet, pushed open the rusted doors and fled.

He followed, as he always did, as Light ran down the empty path that was lit gold by the dying rays of the sun.

L was close behind as little pieces of what looked like glass fell to the ground.

A closer inspection made him realize that they were fragments of his mask, falling apart and striking the ground, the pieces evaporating in white bursts of light.

Light just kept running, desperate to get away from their eyes.

 _Layer by layer, the masks falls apart._

 _To reveal the dying light underneath._

* * *

It wasn't long before he began to slow, wandering aimlessly into a building and then collapsing painfully on the stairs.

L stared as he struggled to turn and lie on his back, his face and body covered in streaks of blood and sweat.

He was beautiful in L's eyes as the last of the mask fell away and the amber in his eyes shone through, revealing the fluttering, golden light that hid within them.

Light was panting, his hair stuck to his face, full of pain and fear.

It did not mar his appearance one bit.

L was glad that he was finally able to appreciate the sight of the beautiful truth.

He had waited too long.

A pained gasp told him that he didn't have too long left.

 _I let out a soft sigh, smiled._

 _And approached the dying Light._

* * *

 **A/N: And that was the end, hope you guys enjoyed!**


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